Researchers from the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), a joint centre of the University of Valencia (UV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), have brought the microbial world closer to pre-university students as part of the Amgen TransferCiència 2025 programme, which aims to promote learning and scientific vocations in biotechnology and genetics.

 

The Amgen TransferCiència 2025 programme (https://transferciencia.fundaciorecerca.cat/index.asp), organised by the biotechnology company Amgen and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), aims to improve science education, with a special focus on biotechnology and genetics. This year, I2SysBio participated through workshops specifically designed for different educational levels.

 

Researcher Àngela Vidal Verdú gave the workshop ‘Microbial bioprospecting and bioremediation: the search for microorganisms with biotechnological applications’ at the IES Colomina, Eivissa (24 February). The session began with a talk on plastic pollution and how microbial bioremediation offers solutions to mitigate pollution. Bioprospecting studies allow us to search for microorganisms of interest that can be modified to improve process efficiency. The students in attendance learned different ways to cultivate microorganisms and how to work on their identification while maintaining sterility. The students identified a new bacterial species using computer techniques.

 

On the same day, 24 February, Paola Corbín Agustí and Alba Arévalo Lalanne gave the lecture ‘Microorganisms and humans’ at the IES Santa María de Eivissa and the IES Doctor Faustí Barberà de Alaquàs, respectively. This was followed by the workshop ‘The race for a vaccine against red rot’. During the talk, the role of probiotics, bacteria beneficial to human health, was explored in depth, revealing the reasons why they are a central pillar in the context of the scientific research carried out at I2SysBio. Through a theoretical and practical approach, attendees learn and apply basic procedures in a microbiology laboratory.

 

Cristina Vidal Verdú gave her workshop at the IES Cueva Santa de Segorbe, also on 24 February. She began with a theoretical introduction to the biology of viruses and how vaccines work. The students then formed ‘evaluation committees’ to assess the efficacy of several candidate vaccines against the West Nile virus using immunological techniques.

 

On 28 March, Víctor Garrigós Centelles gave an informative talk at the IES Patraix secondary school in Valencia, which consisted of a review of the historical evolution of biotechnology. The discussion focused on restriction enzymes, the difference between genomic DNA and a plasmid, and how to interpret the results of agarose gel electrophoresis, routine techniques in any biotechnology laboratory.

 

Finally, on 16 April, Cecilia Picazo Campos gave the workshop ‘An adventure of a DNA detective’ at the IES Pere Boïl secondary school in Manises. The activity starts with a murder. Biological samples from the murderer are discovered at the crime scene. Using these samples, the students extract DNA, amplify it, separate it, visualise it and compare it with other samples to determine which of the three possible suspects is the culprit. Through this activity, students discover the importance of biotechnology in everyday life.

 

Source: Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit, University of Valencia